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111. STATUS OF THE POPULATION The Native people of Western Samoa are described in documents of travel ■as " British-protected persons, Natives of the Territory of Western Samoa." The provisions of the British Nationality and Status of Aliens (in New Zealand) Act, 1928, allow individual inhabitants of the Territory voluntarily to obtain British naturalization. Certificates of naturalization have been granted to 50 Native Samoans and to 71 Europeans, including children in both cases. The law of the Territory provides generally that all persons of one quarter or more non-Polynesian blood have the racial status of Europeans, but changes may be made voluntarily by registration. By the Samoa Registration of Europeans Regulations 1920, any person of less than full Samoan blood may be granted the status of a European; and the Samoan Status Ordinance 1934 makes provision whereby a person of European status and of not less than half-Samoan blood may be granted Samoan status. During the year under review 9 persons took advantage of the regulations to register as Europeans, and 3 applied for Samoan status, making a total of 541 partSamoans of Samoan status who have been registered as Europeans, and 27 part-Samoans of European status who have become Samoans, in terms of these enactments. IV. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS (a) International. Conventions A complete list of the general international conventions that have been applied to Western Samoa was published in last year's report. Additions in the period under review are:— Accord on German Patents—from 22nd November, 1946. Universal Postal Convention, signed at Buenos Aires, 23rd May, 1939. Agreement concerning Insured Letters and Boxes, signed at Buenos Aires on 23rd May, 1939. International Telecommunication Convention, signed at Madrid, on 9th December, 1932, The Telegraph Regulations (Revision of Cairo, 1938) annexed to the International Telecommunication Convention, Madrid, 1932, signed at Cairo on the 4th April, 1938. The General Radioeommunication Regulations (Revision of Cairo, 1938) and the Additional Radiocommunications Regulations (Revision of Cairo, 1938) annexed to the International Telecommunication Convention, Madrid, 1932, signed at Cairo on the Bth April, 1938. Trusteeship Agreement for Western Samoa*, signed at New York, 13th December, 1946. (b) Economic Equality Protection is afforded to Native Samoans in the legal inalienability of Native land, and Samoans are not liable for estate, succession, or gift duties, but otherwise there are no derogations from the principle of economic equality as regards concessions or direct or indirect taxation. The question of mining rights does not arise. There is a preference in Customs ad valorem import ■duties of 11 per cent, in favour of British goods, but no restrictions as regards countries of origin of goods imported. Since March, 1944, a system of import licensing has been in operation, more particularly to ensure supply of essential goods from exporting countries. There is no impairment of the authority of the local Administration to permit such imports from any country from which they may be available.

* Printed as parliamentary paper A.-2c, 1947.

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